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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Smith view the fire department's amusement park trip for neighborhood children?

2. To which classical literary figure does Smith refer when describing the wounds on the young girl assaulted by her stepfather in Chapter 9?

3. What free perk did New York firemen get?

4. What one gift did Smith want more than anything as a child?

5. Why did Smith think his school principal and mother were wrong to lament his dropping out?

Short Essay Questions

1. Despite the death of the baby in the last fire in the book, Smith was more committed than ever to remaining a firefighter. What did he see at that fire that reinforced his tremendous loyalty to his fellow firemen?

2. In what key way does Smith say the modern firefighting exams are different from those of the past?

3. Is the poverty seen by Dennis Smith in the South Bronx different than the poverty in which he grew up?

4. Does Smith feel that society has become more violent over the years, and if so, why?

5. How did Smith convince himself of the need to respond to all calls when he found himself getting fed up with the arson incidents?

6. In what way can the training firemen undergo never be completely sufficient?

7. Why did Smith view being a firemen as a sign of success when he was a child?

8. Why were some of the firefighters unwilling to help out at the department's occasional parties for neighborhood kids?

9. Did Smith's wife appreciate her husband's devotion to his job?

10. How did the elementary student, Cynthia, approach her interview with Smith in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fire departments in the United States are traditionally overwhelmingly white--Smith himself came from an Irish background and many of his fellow firemen are Irish or Italian. How did that situation arise? Does the tradition of family members following one another into the field explain it? In what ways have fire departments attempted to diversify in recent years, and have those efforts been successful? Are there specific ways you can think of that would help diversify fire departments?

Essay Topic 2

Smith continued to work in the South Bronx despite the dangers and despite the fact that moving to another neighborhood would still allow him to serve as a firefighter, but in a safer environment. What compels some people to risk their lives for little or nothing in return? Are some people born with a unique sense of compassion and generosity or can this be cultivated in anyone? What kind of intangible rewards did Smith get from serving the South Bronx that he may not have gotten from serving, say, the Upper East Side?

Essay Topic 3

Firefighters come across as three-dimensional human beings in this book--we see their bravery, their humanity, their occasional pettiness, and their frustrations and prejudices. In what ways has reading this book changed or not changed your view of firefighters? Before reading the book, did you have a particular image of firemen? Was that image reinforced or shattered? Do you have more respect or understanding of them now?

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